I Am not His to Claim

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

As Mason's voice echoed behind me, I turned slowly, and my heart’s pounding with a mixture of fear and anticipation. There he stood, his figure illuminated by the soft glow of the candles, his eyes dark pools of mystery and intrigue.

"You don’t only knew Marissa… She is not only your believed fated mate… She is something, someone so important that you need to have her ashes inside your house… Why? Who is she? Why did she die Mason?”

Mason nodded solemnly,but his expression is unreadable. "She was a part of this town's history, just as you are now," he replied cryptically. "But her story ended in tragedy, long before you ever set foot in this place."

I shivered, a chill running down my spine at the mention of tragedy. What had happened to Marissa? And what did it have to do with me? Why do people expect me to end up the same tragedy she experienced and lived?

"Mason, I need to know," I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice. "Why do I look like her? Why is there a photo of her in this mansion, taken decades before I was even born?"

Mason's gaze softened, a flicker of sadness crossing his features. "Marissa was a werewolf," he confessed, his voice heavy with emotion. "She was beautiful and charming, but she had a dark side. She was light but too damn dark to even imagined a person could have." He said and he takes few steps towards me. “She was no one when we are living our time. She was just another girl who works hard, and study hard for her to live the dreams she wants. I am a Mones, my father was a Mones. We are the powerful family existed in this town. More powerful combined of the Fortez and the founder of this town, the Risch. But… Everything changed when our life i*********e each other. She is nothing like us. I do not know where she came from, or her background, it was part of her life that still remains a mystery up until now.” I gasped, shock coursing through me at the revelation. Marissa was a werewolf? And she is more powerful than the Mones? The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place, but there were still so many unanswered questions.

"I don't understand," I whispered, my mind reeling with confusion. "What does Marissa's disappearance have to do with me?"

Mason sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Marissa disappeared under mysterious circumstances," he explained. "Before she vanished, she left behind a trail of chaos and destruction, secrets that threaten to tear this town apart…”

My head spun with the weight of his words, the enormity of the situation crashing down on me like a tidal wave. Could it be possible that I was somehow connected to Marissa's fate? And if so, what did that mean for my own future?

I look at Marissa’s photo once again. She was smiling, her enigmatic presence seemed to leap out from the aged paper, captivating me with her fierce gaze and subtle smile. Her eyes, dark and intense, bore into mine with a piercing intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. It was as if she could see right through me, unraveling the layers of my soul with a single glance.She may look like me, or I may look like her, but you can see the difference from her to me, she is more fierce than me.

“The only thing that connects you to her, is that you look like her.” Mason said and I put the photo back where it was before. I look back to Mason when I realized one thing. One questions that bothered me. “You are a werewolf, even Marissa… Then why does this photo look like it was taken in 1800.” I said. “And… you didn’t answered my question Mason. How did she die?”

Mason take steps forward until he reach me. He stared at my eyes, seconds before he went to fix the chamber of where Marissa’s ashes are. He fixes the photo and the vase back to it’s place when I approached it. “Marissa… Her background is unknown. She existed in this town without a a trace of her past. I don’t even know if she was born here, or moved here. Her existence is a mystery, so does her end.” He turns around and face me. “That is enough for tonight. The foods are already prepared.” He walked passed through me straight down to the staircase.

I was left alone standing here, wondering what happened in the past. The truth.

Marissa look like she was born from 1800, but based on what Mason’s story or, she existed in this time line, same as mine. But why does she look like really old but young at the same time? What did Marissa do, that almost tear this town apart? And why do I look like her? Does my mother know who Marissa is? I mean she was born and raised here, so there’s a probability that they knew each other…

But… How could my mother know her, if Marissa has the same age as mine? I was born in Michigan. Not here.

Ugh!

It confuses me more!